Prepping for disaster

Fountain Valley resident R.J. Higton showing various Masuda Middle School staff and community members the signs he created for the emergency disaster locker. RAYMOND MENDOZA, STAFF

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The inside contents of Masuda Middle School's emergency disaster locker, complete with supplies for more than 600 students and faculty members- including a wheelchair, hard hats, and several 30 gallon water drums. RAYMOND MENDOZA, STAFF

Emergency disaster locker contents:

Craftsman roll-away tool chest with a crow bar, two shovels, and various screwdrivers.

White boards for school evacuation and rescue plan.

Emergency responder bags with various first-aid supplies.

Canopies for resting areas and first-aid stations.

Drinking water and water-sanitizing supplies including instructions on how to sanitize water.

Source: Masuda Emergency Disaster Locker expiration binder.

Emergency disaster locker by the numbers:

10: 30-gallon purified water drums.

100: Emergency survival blankets.

800: 9-ounce water cups.

104: Instant cold compresses.

12: Hard hats.

42: Fluorescent lanterns.

400: Gauze pads.

4: Portable camping toilets.

2: Fire extinguishers.

Source: Masuda Emergency Disaster Locker expiration binder.

R.J. Higton took the Boy Scout motto of “Be Prepared” to a whole new level in June, when he completed his Eagle Scout project of creating an emergency disaster locker – capable of providing food, water and first aid supplies to more than 600 students and faculty members at Masuda Middle School.

Higton, a 14-year-old Fountain Valley resident and Life Scout on his way to becoming an Eagle Scout, said he was drawn to create an emergency disaster locker at Masuda Middle School after he earned a merit badge in emergency preparedness in Fountain Valley’s Troop 412.

Higton also attended Masuda for sixth grade before enrolling into the Orange County School of the Arts.

Higton said he was shocked at the lack of preparation most families and individuals have for disasters and that his project at Masuda would be a benefit to the school and surrounding community in the event of a real disaster.

“The whole idea of the project was to definitely renew, update and organize the disaster locker so that if any emergency were to arise – the school and the community would be ready,” Higton said.

Higton took six months to plan the project’s proposal, raise $2,570 from local businesses and community members, purchase equipment, food and supplies, create a comprehensive rescue plan for the school, and then categorize the locker’s contents for the school’s administration.

Higton said the new supplies cost $1,941 and he gave the school administration the leftover $629 to replace expired supplies in the future.

Masuda Middle School Principal Jay Adams said the original state of the emergency disaster locker was a “disaster” before Higton offered help to the school.

The end result of Higton’s work was a fully stocked 20-foot-long industrial shipping container with a three-day supply of food and water for the school’s 610 students and 50 faculty members and amenities like blankets, lanterns and tools for long-term disasters, according to Adams.

“If I had to rank it on a scale of 1 to 100, before the organization and completeness, it was maybe a 40 and now it’s 100,” Adams said. “RJ just provided a huge service to the whole community and the school.”

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